creative
Best AI Meme Generators
The AI tools that write meme captions, make original meme images and turn a photo into a video meme, what they cost, which ones watermark free output, and the rules on memes of real people.
Quick answer: For an original meme, or a meme made from your own photo, use ChatGPT: on the free plan it writes the joke, draws the picture and puts the caption on it, with no visible watermark. For a classic template like Drake or Distracted Boyfriend, Imgflip writes the caption for you for free. For a video meme from a single photo, use Viggle AI, with five free videos a day. Google Gemini is the other free option for meme images, and Canva suits brand accounts that need clean files. Keep captions to a few words and check the spelling before you post.
For images in general, see best AI image generators and best free AI image generators; for moving characters, see best AI animation generators.
Which one should you pick?
| If you want | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|
| An original meme image, or one made from your photo | ChatGPT | Free; Go $8/month; Plus $20/month |
| A classic template with an AI-written caption | Imgflip | Free; Pro $14.95/month |
| Another free option for meme images | Google Gemini | Free; Google AI Plus $4.99/month |
| A video meme from one photo | Viggle AI | 5 free videos a day; Pro $7.99/month on the web |
| On-brand memes with no watermark | Canva | Free; Pro $144/year |
The main tools
ChatGPT
ChatGPT does the whole meme in one chat: ask for ten captions, pick one, then ask for the image with the caption on it, or upload a photo of your dog or your desk and ask for it as a meme. Every plan, Free included, has run on ChatGPT Images 2.6 since 4 November 2026, and it can also turn the image into an animated GIF at a speed you choose, a feature still rolling out (OpenAI). Its predecessor, Images 2.5, already put short text on an image reliably.
- Price: free, with an image limit OpenAI doesn’t publish. ChatGPT Go costs $8 a month and gives 10 times the free image allowance; Plus is $20 a month.
- Watermark: none visible. Images carry C2PA provenance metadata.
- Ownership: OpenAI’s terms assign you its rights in what it makes.
- Limits: no template library, so for a classic format you describe it or upload the template image.
Imgflip
Imgflip is the quickest way to get a known template with a fresh caption. Its AI meme page offers two models:
- Classic model: trained on captions people made on Imgflip for the 48 most popular templates. Imgflip calls it “dumb but funny, uncensored” and warns the output can be vulgar. It has no stated limit and doesn’t need a login.
- OpenAI GPT mode: more “put together” captions, in Imgflip’s words, and more templates. Free for 25 a month with a login; after that it needs a paid plan.
- Price: free; Pro is $14.95 a month or $11.95 a month billed yearly, with unlimited AI captions and no ads. A cheaper Pro Basic plan also includes the AI tools.
- Watermark: free memes carry imgflip.com; Pro removes it from memes and GIFs.
You can also skip the AI and caption any template yourself in the same editor.
Google Gemini
Google Gemini makes meme images and edits uploaded photos in the free Gemini app, using Google’s Nano Banana 2 model; the newer Nano Banana 2.1 is on paid Google AI plans.
- Price: free at “standard limits”, with no daily number published; Google AI Plus is $4.99 a month and Google AI Pro $19.99 (Google help).
- Watermark: every image carries Google’s invisible SynthID mark. Since 14 August 2026 you can switch off the visible sparkle, except in countries whose law requires it. See what AI watermarking is.
- Age: Google says “Editing images isn’t available to users under 18”, so teenagers can’t turn their own photos into memes.
Viggle AI
Viggle AI takes one image of a person or character and makes it copy the motion in a video: a dance, a trend, a reaction clip. The iPhone app is listed as “Viggle AI: Meme Maker” and has 4.8 from about 28,000 ratings on the App Store.
- Price: five free videos a day, with a watermark and seven days’ storage. Pro is $7.99 a month on the web; in the iPhone app it is $9.99 a month or $95.90 a year.
- Watermark: on free videos; removed on paid plans.
Canva
Canva has meme templates in its full editor, and Canva says free meme designs carry “no watermarks”. It suits a social media manager who needs brand fonts and colours on the meme, though you write the joke yourself.
- Price: free, with some templates on Pro only; Canva Pro is $144 a year (Canva pricing).
- More: see best AI for social media for the wider job.
How to make a good AI meme
- Start with the joke. Ask ChatGPT for ten captions for your situation and keep the one that made you laugh.
- Pick the format. If a known template fits, caption it on Imgflip. If it needs a new picture, describe it to ChatGPT or Gemini.
- Spell out the caption. This works in ChatGPT and Gemini:
Make a meme image of [scene]. Top caption: “[text]”. Bottom caption: “[text]”. Bold white capital letters with a black outline, square format, no other text.
- Keep it short. Image models get a few words right every time; long captions are where letters go wrong.
- Check before you post. Look at the spelling, hands and faces.
- Mind the watermark. For a clean file, use ChatGPT, Canva or a paid plan.
Pricing and watermarks compared
| Tool | Free | Cheapest paid | Watermark on free |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yes, limit not published | Go, $8/month | No visible mark |
| Imgflip | Classic AI with no stated limit; 25 GPT captions a month | Pro, $11.95/month billed yearly | Yes |
| Google Gemini | Yes, standard limits | AI Plus, $4.99/month | Visible mark can be switched off in most countries |
| Viggle AI | 5 videos a day | Pro, $7.99/month (web) | Yes |
| Canva | Yes | Pro, $144/year | No |
| Supermeme.ai | 10 credits a month | Solo, $6.49/month billed yearly | Yes |
| Kapwing | 10 credits, 720p | Pro, $16/month billed yearly | Yes |
| Ideogram | Weekly credits | Plus, $15/month billed yearly | Data not available |
Other meme tools
Descriptions and prices come from each company’s own pages.
- Supermeme.ai: type a topic and get captioned template memes, aimed at marketers, with an API. 10 free credits a month; paid plans remove the watermark, from Solo at $6.49 a month billed yearly.
- Kapwing: a browser editor for image, GIF and video memes with AI tools. 10 free credits with watermarked 720p exports; Pro is $16 a month billed yearly or $24 monthly.
- Pika: its iPhone app’s Pikamemes feature turns one selfie into reaction GIFs. Free with in-app purchases.
- Ideogram: an image generator that sells itself on accurate text in images. Free weekly credits; Plus is $15 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly.
- Grok: makes images inside X, where many memes are posted. Image generation needs SuperGrok Lite ($10 a month) or above.
- Meta AI: free image generation in the Meta AI app, Instagram and WhatsApp, with a visible “Imagined with Meta AI” mark and personal use only.
- Adobe Express: a meme maker with free daily AI generations; Premium is $9.99 a month.
- Picsart: a free meme generator with templates that Picsart says runs on OpenAI’s GPT Image 2.
Memes of real people
A joke meme of a public figure is usually fine; a fake that could pass as real, or anything sexual, is not.
- The tools: in March 2025 OpenAI started allowing images of public figures in ChatGPT unless they opt out, with stronger protections for minors (The Decoder). Gemini’s photo editing is for adults only.
- US: the TAKE IT DOWN Act makes publishing non-consensual intimate images, including AI fakes, a crime, and since 19 May 2026 platforms must remove them within 48 hours of a valid request (FTC).
- EU: since 2 August 2026 the AI Act requires deepfakes to be disclosed as AI-made, with a lighter duty for clearly satirical work.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Can you use memes commercially?
Sharing memes is rarely a problem; putting one on merchandise or in an ad can be. Most famous templates are someone’s photo or artwork, and the owner can object to commercial use. In the US, raw AI output is unlikely to be protected by copyright, so others can copy a meme you made entirely with AI. ChatGPT assigns you its rights in the image, but that doesn’t cover a template or a person you put in it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI meme generator?
It depends on the meme. ChatGPT makes original meme images and memes from your own photos on the free plan, with the caption included. Imgflip is quickest for classic templates with an AI-written caption, and Viggle AI turns one photo into a video meme.
What is the best free AI meme generator?
ChatGPT, Imgflip and Google Gemini all make memes for free. ChatGPT and Gemini draw original meme images, and Imgflip’s classic AI captioner has no stated limit, with 25 GPT captions a month on top. Imgflip’s free memes carry its watermark; ChatGPT’s carry no visible mark.
Can ChatGPT make memes?
Yes. ChatGPT writes meme captions, draws an original meme image with the caption on it, and turns a photo you upload into a meme, on every plan including Free. OpenAI doesn’t publish the free image limit.
Is the Imgflip AI meme generator free?
Yes. Imgflip’s classic AI meme model is free with no stated limit, and its OpenAI GPT mode is free for 25 memes a month with a login. Free memes carry an imgflip.com watermark; Pro costs $14.95 a month, or $11.95 a month billed yearly.
How do I make an AI meme video?
Upload one photo of a person or character to Viggle AI and pick a motion, such as a dance or a trend. It gives five free videos a day with a watermark; Pro starts at $7.99 a month on the web. Pika’s iPhone app turns a selfie into reaction GIFs.
Do AI meme generators add a watermark?
Many free tiers do. Imgflip, Viggle AI, Supermeme.ai and Kapwing watermark free output. ChatGPT adds no visible mark, Canva says its free meme designs carry none, and Gemini’s visible mark can be switched off in most countries, though its invisible SynthID mark stays.
Can AI make memes of celebrities?
Some tools will. OpenAI allows images of public figures in ChatGPT unless they have opted out, and Gemini’s photo editing is limited to adults. Publishing sexual AI fakes of real people is a crime in the US under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, and the EU AI Act requires deepfakes to be disclosed.
Can I sell merchandise with AI memes?
It’s risky. A meme built on a template uses someone else’s photo or artwork, and the owner can object to commercial use. An image made entirely by AI is unlikely to be protected by US copyright, so others can copy it.